"Thanks," said Mandi. "I never would have thought of that. I thought the
battery was dead."
"May I see that knife?" asked Andrea.
Cade handed it to her closed. She took it and looked it over, then --
holding it rather gingerly, he thought -- unfolded the blade until it locked
open with a loud 'whack' that seemed to startle her a little.
She looked up and asked, "Why didn't it sound like that when you opened it?"
"I was holding it like a tool. You're holding it like a delicate antique.
Things make more noise in a light grip."
Mandi snickered as Andrea studied Cade as if wondering if she were being
teased, then her eyes fell back to the knife. She still held it rather gingerly
as she studied the brass bolsters, the wood between them, and short serrated
region on the stainless blade.
"It looks as if you must have put those serrations on the blade yourself.
Why?"
"They're better for cutting rope and thick stuff and I can use the last two
notches to strip insulation off wires."
She glanced up again and said, "They make the knife look mean. Nasty."
Leaning on the desk, Cade sipped coffee and said, "Only if you're viewing it
strictly as a weapon.
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